Cuban timba with jazzy arrangements and folkloric experimentation featuring lazaro Ros

7 MP3 Songs
LATIN: Salsa, JAZZ: Latin Jazz



Details:
In 1973 the Cuban band Irakere burst on the scene with a revolutionary sound quite unlike anything heard before. It soon gained popularity with US audiences, winning Grammys in 1980 and 1981. Founded and led by pianist Jesus "Chucho" Valdés, (son of the legendary pianist "Bebo" Valdés), Irakere seamlessly blends jazz and traditional Cuban music to an unprecedented degree. Recalling the roots of Afro-Cuban jazz, Irakere's wind section burns with Cubanized be-bop lines. Sometimes the phrases almost seem beyond what is humanly possible. It's no surprise that the group has always had remarkable players such as Paquito d' Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, José Luis Cortés (founder of N.G. La Banda) and many others.

Irakere also experiments with incorporating resonances from Cuba's African roots through the use of traditional rhythms and folkloric drums such as the batá. Using synthesizers, batá drums, rumba, jazz, funk and salsa, Irakere is capable of blending together many genres in a steamy, delectable stew. Irakere has come to represent the cutting edge of contemporary Cuban music and the wondrous possibilities of mixing musical styles.

While Irakere has gained an international reputation as an outstanding jazz ensemble, they've always maintained a repertoire of dance music. In Cuba, dance and music are inseparable and Cuban dancers are extremely demanding. Irakere has satisfied them for over two decades now. The pyrotechnic horn lines heard from contemporary Cuban salsa groups owe their approach to the celebrated innovations of Irakere. Now it is only fitting that the original architects, those who laid the foundation for today's groups, record their own rendition of the contemporary sound of Cuba. With the release of Babalú Ayé, Irakere presents its take on the current state of Salsa Cubana.

Babalú Ayé smokes like only an Irakere record can. Chucho, the 57-year-old genius, keeps all the elements balanced, as one would expect of a seasoned master. Drummer Enrique Plá, who's been with the group since its inception, lays down an impeccable foundation. Add to this new blood like vocalist and timbalero José Miguel and the session strikes an exquisite balance between youthful fire and accomplished wisdom.